I was really late getting my season pass to Hersheypark this year – like I waited until 2011. Generally I take advantage of the fall discounts to get my pass but some things prevented that from happening so I went in February. As you can see from the photo I had the place all to myself.

If you are considering a Season Pass to Hersheypark but aren’t sure if it would save you money, generally the pass pays for itself in 2 regular season trips or one regular season plus two off-season trips. It’s a matter of doing the math with when you will visit. Don’t forget that parking is $12 in 2014 and add that into your figuring.

If you decide you want a Season Pass you will at some point need to visit the Season Pass office (unless you had a pass from last year and are using the same photo and then they can mail it to you for a surcharge.) When the park is not open you park (for free) in the Chocolate World Parking lot. The Season Pass office is where the old Museum used to be. As you approach the park entrance from Chocolate World the Season Pass Office is to your left on the other side of tram circle behind the guest services building. There are signs.

Season Pass Office Sign

Here are some things you need to know about the Season Pass Office:

Until April 4th they close at 1 on Saturdays and are not open on Sundays.

The pass office closes at varying times depending on the day of the week and the date. Check the park website for exact dates/hours here.

They are incredibly busy (like line out the door) during Springtime in the Park and for the first several weeks of the regular season – especially on weekends.

They have only two service windows (with a third I have seen open only on very busy days.)

There are no bathrooms in the Season Pass Office.

You will have to fill out information cards for EVERY pass. (The person processing your pass will also need to key in that info for EVERY pass.)

You can order season passes online with a surcharge but you will still need to wait in line to have your picture taken and your card issued. You can’t take your voucher to the gate for admission.

It takes about 10 minutes to process each pass/group of passes up to about 4. On heavy days they sometimes will hand out the forms to fill out while you wait – bring a pen, they won’t have them.

You will have your photo taken and it will be awful. Be prepared. (Or better yet, get your pass during Hersheypark in the Dark while you are wearing your costume – we really like to do that.)

Every person who gets a pass will get a value booklet for Hersheypark. (If you get the combo pass with Dutch Wonderland you will get some sort of discount for them – not yet determined for 2014.)

The people who work in the Season Pass Office have always been very nice – but the process can take awhile so the people waiting in line often are not very nice.

My suggestion to you is that if you can possibly manage it, get your passes BEFORE Springtime in the Park or after Springtime in the Park ends and before the Regular Season begins (May 6th.) Weekdays are best since most people have to bring children and kids are only out of school on Saturdays and Sundays.

Hi Sherri. To get free parking only one person in the car needs to have a pass so if you are taking multiple cars and not everyone has a pass, split folks up so at least one pass holder is in each car so all cars get free parking.

All you have to do is show the season pass to the parking attendant when you drive up. On certain days you may find season pass holders lanes on the right side as you first enter the area where the parking attendants are, but these are not always open nor do they really seem to save any time. I just choose the shortest line. You can go to any attendant, even the far left where it says buses. Hope that helps!

If you buy the season pass in August/September is it good for the rest of the season and the following year? Is there an early-bird special if you buy the pass in the winter? I am trying to figure out the best deal on the season pass for 2015. Many thanks!

Hi Tiffany. Season passes purchased late in the year are still only good for that year. SOMETIMES they will offer a special kind of combo pass that would include the current year AND the next year but you pay more for them than for a regular pass. You’d have to do the math and decide if you’d visit for Halloween and Christmas to know if it was a savings for you. The BEST time to buy your season pass is when they first offer them late summer/early fall since that is the lowest price you can get. You usually see those prices coming out in mid-late August with the cheapest price ending late September or October. You still get a savings on the pass price as long as you purchase before December 31st of the year before the year the pass is good for (Dec 31, 2014 for the 2015 pass.) After that it is full price only. Keep your eyes open on their website for the 2015 pass info to show up and also sign up for their newsletter since sometimes you’ll see it there first. Hope that helps!

Hi Margaret. To give a season pass as a gift you go to http://www.hersheypark.com/tickets and order the season pass. You print out the voucher for the pass and that is what becomes your gift. The person the pass is for must take that voucher to the season pass office to have their picture taken and turn the voucher in for the actual pass card. This can be done at any time during the year when the season pass office is open…

Hi Ed. I don’t work for the park but here are my suggestions. First of all check your SPAM folder to see if the email went there. If it isn’t there then give the park a call at 1-800-HERSHEY M-F. I would imagine the season passes work the same way the regular park tickets do in that if you can’t print the email receipt or lose it or are ordering from your phone they can look up your info by the card number and your name to get you the passes. But I would call them for sure, perhaps they can resend the confirmation email to you. 2015 passes have been available since Sept 2014 so you can get yours any time. Hope that helps!